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It's Bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

The other night I ran to the store to grab a couple of items we were needing and one of those things were a couple bushels of bananas. Bushels or bunches? Hmmm. I can't decide which to use here and I can't remember what I typically call them. Let's go with bushels. It sounds more fun than bunches.

Anyway, I have to buy a couple bushels at a time because I have two banana-eating-freakazoids living in my home. I can not keep them in stock! And inevitably, every single time I want one, I go to grab it and Husby says, "Oh, me and Levi just ate the last ones."

I'm to the point where I'm about to plant some banana trees in the back yard. On second thought, maybe we'd be better off moving to Caribbean. Eh, I dreamed about a blistering boiling sunburn all over my body last night, so maybe that's a sign I better just stay put.

I need a daily milk, bread and banana delivery boy. Yeah, that's the ticket.

So. Bananas.

When I was at the store grabbing my couple'a bushels, something unbelievable happened. I was browsing through, trying to find the greenest ones for our second batch when a lady came up behind me, grabbed a bushel next to me, snapped off two bananas like a twig on a tree and went on her merry way.

I stood there in shock as I envisioned sirens going off and grocery police bursting forth and arresting the culprit. She separated the bushel! Is that even allowed? Isn't that against grocery policy and protocol? Aren't you supposed to keep the bananas together in their original little families? How could you just snap some off and leave the rest? Why not just find an original bunch with just two in it and take those? Why take from a perfect bushel of bountiful bananas? So many questions! I just couldn't understand!

And I still don't.

You don't just take and buy 25 grapes from their bunch, so why would you break up the bananas? I feel like it's the same thing! When you break and take from a nice big bushel, the ones that you leave will probably go untouched, unsold and end up being thrown out. I know when I see a lone banana I never buy it. Especially if I can see that it's been torn away from it's original bushel!

Is this normal banana bushel behavior?

Am I the only one who buys bushels in their entirety?

Is everyone else a banana snapper snatcher?

Y'all set me straight! What is proper banana bushel protocol?
I am a modern day homemaker with a passion for family, cooking, celebrating, decorating, travel, and memory making! The Lord has blessed me with the desires of my heart in my husband and our two sons. We recently built our dream home and cultivating a loving and happy haven for my family is where I find so much joy.

Comments

  1. Ha! I'm totally guilty of tearing 2-3 bananas off of a bushel/bunch and leaving the others. Sometimes I don't need all 6 that are in the bunch!

    I hope some of your other readers admit to this too. Please tell me I'm not the only one!

    And please don't call the banana police on me! :)

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  2. I confess...I snap a few off of the bushel. I am the only one that eats them and I don't eat them everyday so I can only buy a couple at a time.

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  3. You're funny. I see people do that all the time. I will try to grab a bunch that has only the amount that I want if it's available, but I will tear some off if need be.

    And it's definitely bunch. :) Most grocery stores don't sell in bushel quantities. That's like a big huge laundry basket full.

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  4. Totally allowed. You pay per banana. The code for banana is 4011. Can you tell I worked at a grocery store for 5 years?

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  5. hahaaha.
    this made me giggle.
    I think you can just buy one at a time!

    and I'm pretty sure they are referred to a "bunch", but I like that you went with bushel and stuck with it.

    LOL.

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  6. I do that with bananas and with grapes!

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  7. I remember reading a blog where the author was outraged that she saw someone, presumably single, that picked 5 bananas from five different bunches in varying sages of ripeness. Hah! I guess it's pretty common. ;) I've been known to find a good bunch and leave behind a banana or two from it if said banana doesn't look good, but we don't have the best produce selection on Guam!

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  8. I'm a banana snatcher. If it isn't allowed then why do they always put a sticker on every banana instead of just one? I also have no problem plucking just a stem or two out of the grape bag though so what do I know?

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  9. We don't eat a lot of bananas so I try and only buy a bunch of 2-3 but I am totally guilty of just breaking off what I need if I can't find a small one.

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  10. I will take off the one or two that look like they are bruised since no one will eat that one :(

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  11. As a single girl, I definitely have done this. However, I first look to see if someone else has left behind one or two, and most of the time there is several pairs laying around. Funny thing though is that though I've wished I could ('cause they spoil before I can get them all eaten unless I gorge myself on them), I never do this with grapes. When you're paying by the pound for either one, I really don't see what the harm is in taking just the pound amount you need.

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  12. I totally do this! I don't eat bananas (ewwww) but my husband does, so I only need 3-4 at a time. I would never consider doing it with grapes though...maybe because they come in a bag so I never thought about it?

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  13. Hi! I've read your blog for years and never commented before-but I had to on this post, lol!

    I worked in a produce department for many years, back while I was in school. When I first started I would want to sound the alarms when some one broke up the bunch of bananas or took only part of the bag of grapes. I, like you, thought you had to buy the whole bunch! However, as my boss pointed out, those items are sold by the pound, so you may break apart what you want to buy. Same goes with grapes, cherries and even heads of lettuce!! Thats just a 'suggested' amount for you to buy (and so you'll buy more than you nrmally would). But-I am going to say as a OCD worker, it is quite annoying to walk up to the banana table and find all the lonely banana stragglers that no one wanted... ;)

    PS-I'm pretty certain we have the same birthday!!!!

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  14. I've always heard them called "bunches" of Bananas. Oh and I totally snap off a few. Otherwise I buy a huge bunch, we only eat a few, the rest go bad and in the trash thus preventing others from enjoying the goodness. I figure I'm being fair this way.

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  15. We call that a "Code Yellow" in my house. :)

    Also, yes, you can snap off a few. I think bananas are a bit different than other fruits. :)

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  16. I'm definitely a banana snapper snatcher. They other day, I separated 4 of them, then bought all 4! But actually, that was the first time I've ever done that :)

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  17. I usually try to find a batch of just what I need, but sometimes all our store has is bunches of 6 or more. Or the smaller batches are bruised so I've been known to break them off if need be. I see a lot of people do it.

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  18. LOL I feel the same way! I hate seeing people do that and I don't know why. I always buy the whole bunch/bushel, even if I don't think I'll eat em all ~ I usually do!
    XoXo

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  19. I've seen people do that with grapes before and remember thinking it's an excellent idea because if there are only one or two people eating them, then it's a waste to buy them all. Perhaps someone else will come along later and pick up the rest of the bunch. I don't like bananas, though, so I don't pay attention to those : )

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  20. LOL I've seen people do it, so I think it's okay. I never do it. I just collect my "thing of bananas" (as I like to call it!) and be on my way!

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  21. I confess I'm a banana snapper. Only 2 of us eat them in the house and we never can use the whole bunch before they are too ripe and I detest banana bread.

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  22. It's totally ok! Everyone does it! Banana snatchers unite!!! ;-)

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  23. It is fine to snap bananas from the bunch, or take only the amount of grapes you want. You pay by the pound for those things so it is permissible. Silly girl.

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  24. You're definitely allowed to snap a couple off. I do it all the time :)

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  25. You can do it either way. When I was a single gal I would buy just one or two. Now that it is three I usually just buy the bunch. If I see a really good bunch with one bad one I will snap it off. You pay by the pound so I am not paying for bad pounds. You know you are also allowed to snap a few ribs of celery off. You don't have to buy the whole bunch.

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  26. I know that people break up the bunch, I've seen it happen, and because they're sold by the pound I think this is reasonable to do however, *I* don't do it. I feel like the banana police would be after me! At my store there is a sign near the grapes that say if you want a certain amount you should ask a store associate for help. I would guess this is just because the grapes are pre-bagged and they probably don't want people removing them from the bag and just leaving the "extras" sit there.

    What drives ME nuts about the produce department are the squeezers! Don't squeeze the produce, people! It drives me beyond nuts when I see someone squeeze a tomato or avocado then put it back. Gee, thanks because I always end up getting produce that looks good at the store and then is bruised and nasty the next day because people do that. Not to mention that's not at all how you can tell if something like that is ripe. I wish I had the nerve to say something to people when I see them do it!

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  27. Totally cool to just take a couple bananas from a bunch. We live in an area with a lot of older folks and they only need a couple. If you go to the store at the end of the day the only bananas left are several singles. We just bag them up and bring them home. :)

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  28. Oh, I only take what I need, AND I do the same with grapes! I used to think you couldn't do it, but when I was making chicken salad for one, and had to bring the whole bag of grapes home, I decided I wasn't committing a crime. ...Hopefully I'm not! :)

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  29. I'm definitely a banana-snatcher! We don't eat a lot of them, so if I can't find the amount I need with the right coloring available, I tear them off from another bunch. I've been doing it for years, and have managed to avoid the banana police all this time! ;)

    I've never done that for grapes though, I guess since they come in a bag. Maybe the grape police are strict enforcers.

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  30. Before I had kids I would break off a couple bananas. Why should I buy the yucky left overs just because I only want 3. But now that I have bananaholics in my house I buy a big bunch and a little bunch that someone probably pulled off.
    Though if I'm baking I will go pick up all those lonely single bananas that are getting too ripe and give them a good home in some banana bread.

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  31. We're guilty of this one too. Especially if Hubsy needs extra fruit for his lunch, but not a whole bunch.

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  32. It's perfectly acceptable to seperate! We run a produce market and any item that is sold by weight, customers are entitled to settle on the amount they want and purchase only that. Bananas in particular its perfectly normal because it's common to have a banana or two that are bruised in a bunch, most people aren't interested in buying damaged produce. Not to mention, if you only need two, it's better not to waste the other 3-4 bananas.

    If an item is sold per pack or per bag, it's different and we don't allow people to open those and take out some or add more in.

    Also, a bushel is an insane amount of bananas, you are definitely not going to the store to buy a couple bushels! ;) Each case is 40lbs which equals out to approximately 18 bunches of bananas. With a couple of bushels, you'd be looking at around 80-100lbs of bananas!

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  33. I definitely snap them off, but I do look for a smaller bunch first.

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  34. It's 100% normal to snap off what you want. Guilty.

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  35. it is so okay to just pick a banana or two from the bunch... as a single woman, a whole bunch is just too depressing! :)

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  36. I usually buy them in the bunch they come in, but our target sells them per banana so if I just need a couple for a recipe or something, I'll tear them off.

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  37. Lucas is the only one that eats bananas at my home, so I only buy 2-3 at a time! So funny that you'd never seen this done:) Hilarious since most commenters have admitted to it! Love it!

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  38. Before a month ago, I had never purchased bananas (except if hubby specifically requested them) (I was a snapper back then)...Now I have a HUGE bowl on the kitchen counter and buy 2, sometimes 3 bunches of them. No longer a snapper and I've finally acquired a taste for the banana, not just the flavor. For the longest time, I couldn't eat them plain. Peanut butter changed that and now I can eat them all by their lonesome!
    You're so funny!

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  39. Haha! Hilarious! I am always a full bushel buyer too! It's good to know that I am actually allowed to buy just a few. =)

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  40. This made me laugh. I almost always break the bushel. There are usually 6-7 bananas in a bushel, and I usually break off 4 of them. I have learned that my family won't eat more than that, and if I buy the whole thing they will get too ripe and go to waste. I thought this was normal... I wonder how many others like have been at my grocery store and been appalled at my breaking of the banana bushel! ha!

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  41. I have never snapped bananas off a bunch. The idea just never crossed my mind. Nor have I removed grapes from a bag. I am sure going to start though! I waste a lot of time looking for that the perfect bunch with the correct number of bananas and no bruises. I will start snapping off those bruised bananas!

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  42. Totally normal, they weigh them.

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  43. Snap em. I rarely buy a whole bunch. And sometimes I will buy 2 from one bunch, 3 from another...you get the picture. Don't hate me.

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  44. Too funny! Yep, its allowed. At least in my grocery store anyway. All produce is sold by the pound so its OK to take only what you need. I've also talked to the produce manager and they don't even mind if you break open packages (those shrink-wrapped ones) and just take what you need. I first asked about this years ago when I only needed one cucumber for a recipe and all I could find was a pack of FOUR! Nowadays there are actually signs posted all over the produce section that say "we break packages!" But its still not cool to actually EAT the grapes! ;-)

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  45. Guilty as charged!! I look for a small group first and I NEVER leave a single banana... I just typically break up a big batch (ie originally 6, I take 3). I just hate to buy them knowing they are going to go bad!! Sorry, I never even thought about that being weird! Oops!

    www.frillylittledetails.blogspot.com

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  46. I'm totally a banana snapper snatcher! I'm the only one in the house who eats fruit, so I only buy two bananas at a time. If there aren't two lone bananas, i'll snap and snatch. I also separate bags of grapes according to what I need. I don't pluck 25 grapes off the vines, but I will tear off a branch of what I need or take a bunch of grapes out if there are two bunches in a bag. I just don't need 3 lbs of grapes and they dont package stuff for single people (or people who's husby's don't eat fruit).

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  47. haha so funny. I do it all the time. It's like almost all other produce - by weight. Yesterday, I only needed three bananas, so I tore some off the bunch. Set your conscience free - tear all you want!

    ~Kathryn

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  48. This made me laugh really really hard. I think most people are completely okay with snapping a few off. Not everyone has two "banana eating freakazoids" lol But I think the others probably usually get bought anyway because I never even notice some have been pulled off!

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  49. I am totally a banana snatcher. We never eat all the bananas before they go bad so I can only buy about 4 at a time. I see people do it all the time so I thought it was totally allowed.

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  50. I'm raising my hand as a guilty banana snatcher. If I don't need the whole bunch, I will grab however many I need. Now, I wouldn't ever leave just one banana by itself (unless it was disgusting or something), but I will leave a couple attached there by themselves. Also - now don't wake up Levi from his nap while you scream - I always taste one grape from the bag before I buy. I was told that if one grape tastes bad, the entire bunch will. If one tastes good, the entire bunch will also. Hmmmm ... gonna call the produce police on me???? Please don't!

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  51. I definitely break up the bunches of bananas AND bunches of grapes :). I do look first to see if there is a bunch that is of my desired small size (as they are just for me) and of my desired ripeness. But if no such small bunch is around, but there are many large bunches of the desired ripeness, then make my own small bunch. If I'm working with grapes, I add the other half of the bunch to another bag, figuring someone with many voracious children will likely appreciate the larger bag of grapes. How else do you think single people grocery shop, when most things at the store are made for families of 3-4 (even produce)? I am not single, but I am married to The Pickiest Eater On The Face Of The Earth, so I grocery shop like a single person for the most part, and hence I am definitely a bunch-breaker.

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  52. You crack me up, friend!!! Since you buy bananas by weight or count, it's not as naughty as you'd think ;) I do either, depending on what the household needs are? I'm not a banana bread fan, so expired bananas in our household are a big bummer! I only buy what I can use. This made me smile, thanks for blogging about it! :)

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  53. You are definitely allowed to snap a few bananas off or divide the bushel in half. Here they sell baking bananas so they are bananas that started to riping with brown spots so I assume thats what some of the single bananas end up going.
    I tear a few bananas off, sometimes I only want a few green ones and the rest yellow.

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  54. Oh my gosh, you are so funny !! I always tear off about 4 bananas because my family likes them once in a while but won't eat the whole thing before they all go bad, but we live in California, and everyone does what they want anyways. But, I will buy a small bushel/bunch if there is one there so I don't have to tear a new one apart. I didn't know that people did otherwise. Too Funny!!! Well enjoy your bushel !!!

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  55. Okay, totally do this and find it normal... and also, I often times LOVE to find just one banana cuz it's perfect for a snack for the ride home or if I'm popping into the store for lunch, as I often do.

    Also, my mom told me about the grape thing a few months ago... I told her I was shocked to see a sign in the produce aisle telling customers which bags to specifically use when you separated grapes to get the quantity you wanted... and she said people have done that for decades.

    Oh, and yes, a bushel is definitely like a laundry basket full. ;)

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  56. You can tear them off! I do it all the time! I mean I never leave one single, lonely banana, but I'll split it like 3 and 3. No need to be wasteful! :)

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  57. Wow. Hadn't really thought through appropriate banana bunch etiquette. I'm always buying in such bulk that I'm just always trying to figure how much I can buy before I embarrassed myself....

    Blessings!

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  58. Totally allowed! And a little known trivia fact...a group of bananas is actually called a "hand"! Impress your friends at the next party!

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  59. It's totally allowed and happens all the time, because you are paying for each pound that you want not for a certain bunch of bananas. You are also allowed to do it with grapes. If you want more or less you take what you want and then the store charges you by the pound. I don't mind taking them even if i can see that someone has torn some off, because I know I do it. :)

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  60. It's totally allowed and happens all the time, because you are paying for each pound that you want not for a certain bunch of bananas. You are also allowed to do it with grapes. If you want more or less you take what you want and then the store charges you by the pound. I don't mind taking them even if i can see that someone has torn some off, because I know I do it. :)

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  61. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  62. I had to think of your post today when I saw an old man at our grocery store, happily separating single bananas from various bunches! He ONLY took single ones, collecting them all in a bag. I could not believe what I was seeing.
    Even though I think it's not too terrible if you really only need 2 and break them off a bigger bundle, I thought this man was pushing it. He already had a good number of bananas in his bag and just kept on going.
    So on the plus side, I guess if you are 70years and above you are exempt from any banana-code and go for it!

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  63. OK, I totally separate the bunches when I only need like 3. My kids are the only ones who eat them on a daily basis, and they only eat 1/2 at a time. I also will buy the single ones if they look better than certain bunches b/c I feel bad for them. I have nothing against half bunches or singles. :)

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  64. I separate bananas and grapes! I am single so there is no way that I could eat a whole bag of grapes before they went bad, so I just pluck off what I need. My boyfriend works in the produce department and he says people do it all the time. I didn't used to do it tho until he told me that.

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  65. There is a law: No Banana Left Behind! :)

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